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Small Changes, Big Results

Today is the best day to change your life, thus the tag line of Jerry Foster‘s book, Small Changes, Big Results (2004).

Though it present itself as a self-help book, it is rather inspirational. It does not shout at your throat what you should do step-by-step to change your life but it has examples of real people and real experiences that will help the reader realize about his own circumstances in life. It presents practical principles and strategies that are easy to adopt as they enable you to be more conscious or aware of the choices that you make today.

The book is very imaginative. It lets you think your own “what ifs” and “how ifs” and lead you to rethink the things, events and choice that you made and all the possible cumulative outcome in the future. It will make you see into those small things that seemingly insignificant but can create big changes in the future. The author wants the readers not to disregard the small things but see it as a part of a holistic development of a person. Also, he encourages relationships, something that many people neglects in this very busy and fast paced world.

Since the author of the book is a businessman, there are business jargon throughout the text but nonetheless they are well explained and related to life situations; and they make the book more practical and realistic because you are assured that many of it are based from the personal experience of the author that worked over time. The book drives the readers to answer the questions, “Who am I?” and “What am I here for?” through discovering one’s potential and maximizing talents as they are intended to be.

The Vector PrincipleFoster used the vector principle in his presentation of the choices that a person makes in his/her life. The principle states that each choice you make vectors you (direct, change angle) to a certain destination. “You are currently on a course that was determined by choices you made since you were aware of your capacity to choose. Many of these choice seemed rather insignificant at the time, but small changes make a big difference over time.”

It does not matter whether you are in your twenties, forties or sixties as long as you are conscious of your choices and decisions, you can still change for a fruitful and well-lived life. A person can choose to invest his/her life toward the path of indifference, path of indulgence, or path of influence. The path of indulgence is the self-centered life. The path of indifference, on the other hand, is existence-centered life. Finally, the part of influence is an others-centered life.

Foster leads the readers to take the path of influence which is characterized by the transformation of other people, personal satisfaction seeing others benefit, and broader perspective in life. This is the path that is grounded on relationships and vision. It strengthens the claim of John Wooden that “Real happiness and success comes from things that cannot be taken from you.” Those things are the legacy that a person can leave after his/her life of earth. Those things are the relationships that are build in love, and visions realized in confidence that bring out the best of life.

Five lifeWealth
Foster coined the term lifeWealth to describe the full investment that a person can make in his/her. It is “The accumulation of financial, relational, physical, intellectual and spiritual capital. (Here goes the business lingo!)

The author encourages each person to invest into the five lifeWealth. These can be treated like a bank where a person can deposit every choices or results that come after, good or bad, for future usage. The profitability of these investments depend on how a person manages them to comply to the vision he/she has in mind or want to accomplish for the future for his/her own life.

This lifeWealth principle leads the reader to evaluating each aspect and plotting vision that are realistic and can gain profit over time. The author has provided strategies how to evaluate and plan toward attaining the fullness of life. Though the book discusses so much of the future, it does not neglect the “now”, in fact it has given it importance because the “now” determines the future. And in the end, the person shall enjoy contentment.

I found this book in the shelf of Christian/Inspirational. The author has quoted some Biblical foundations and personalities to explain his points but even though, I still think that his principles apply whether you are a Christian or not—because all person come into a point in life when they become aware of their choices and have the ability to choose.

About

My purpose is to share my life journey and to inspire you through my experiences, discoveries and insights. My hope is that the contents of this blog will be relevant in your personal and even professional lives.